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The future of European aerospace runs through Lazio. This was the strong message that emerged from the event “Lazio European Aerospace Hub,” held recently at the prestigious ESA-ESRIN headquarters in Frascati, as part of the General Assembly on Defense, Space and Cybersecurity. A high-profile appointment promoted by the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Space Agency ESA, which saw the participation of Aviorec Composites among the sector’s protagonists.

The meeting represented a moment of strategic synthesis to outline the role of the Lazio Region in the European and global aerospace landscape, bringing together institutions, companies and national and international research centers around the same table in a framework of scientific and technological excellence.

The aerospace industry workshop featured leading speakers, testifying to the strategic relevance of the initiative. Among the prominent speakers were the Vice President and Regional Councilor for Economic Development, Commerce, Crafts, Industry, and Internationalization of the Lazio Region Roberta Angelilli, the President of Unindustria Giuseppe Biazzo, the CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italia Giampiero Di Paolo, the President of the National Aerospace Technology Cluster Cristina Leone, the Chief Operating Officer of Telespazio Giuseppe Aurilio, and the President of RIAL – Lazio Aerospace-Defense Business Network Jacopo Recchia.

A concentration of expertise and strategic visions that allowed for mapping out a precise roadmap for consolidating Lazio’s leadership in the sector.

The event identified several priority actions designed to reshape the regional industrial landscape. In the foreground, the launch of the establishment of the new Industrial and Technological District for Aerospace and Security, a natural evolution of the Lazio Aerospace Technology District – DTA, operational since 2004 and now ready for a qualitative leap.

The project envisages the creation of a technical committee that will lead to the establishment of a founders’ committee, with the strategic objective of activating public and private resources and fostering collaboration between companies, research and institutions. A virtuous synergy that aims to maximize investment effectiveness and accelerate innovation processes.

the report produced by the program Casa Italia on the event

The action plan outlined during the meeting includes concrete and measurable initiatives. The promotion of Aerospace Open Innovation roundtables represents one of the project’s keystones, creating structured meeting opportunities between Innovative SMEs and industrial groups to facilitate the entry of small businesses into large corporations’ supply chains.

In parallel, a Foreign Investment Attraction initiative will be launched specifically dedicated to innovative SMEs in the aerospace sector, supported by Lazio Innova and the activation of regional co-financing measures. A systematic approach that aims to position the Lazio territory as a preferred destination for international investments in the sector.

The data speaks clearly and paints the portrait of a leading region that has been able to build over time an industrial ecosystem of international scope. Lazio is configured as the only Italian region to boast the entire value chain of the aerospace sector, from research to development, from production to services, supported by a vast network of technologically advanced small and medium enterprises.

The Lazio ecosystem counts over 300 companies between large groups and SMEs, 23,000 employees in advanced technologies, an annual turnover of over 5 billion euros, of which 1.6 billion destined for export. Completing the picture are 5 public universities and two internationally renowned research institutions: ASI and ESA-ESRIN.

A particularly significant figure concerns the composition of the entrepreneurial fabric: 85% of regional aerospace entrepreneurship is represented by high-tech SMEs, capable of providing solutions, components and specialized services for every segment of the supply chain.

Jacopo Recchia, CEO of Aviorec, present at the event also as a representative of the Lazio Aerospace-Defense Business Network, offered an in-depth reading of the Lazio phenomenon: “Lazio represents a unicum in the national landscape: it is in fact the only Italian region where the entire aerospace and defense supply chain develops, a sector that integrates all production and research phases.”

The figures provided by Recchia outline a picture of extraordinary economic relevance: approximately 250 companies, from large multinationals to small and medium enterprises, which collectively employ 23,500 workers and generate a business volume exceeding 5 billion euros per year, with 1.6 billion destined for exports.

The Lazio industrial system does not rest exclusively on production capacity, but is nourished by the constant contribution of the academic and scientific world. The region hosts 10 important research centers, 5 universities with 4 engineering faculties and about thirty advanced training programs.

A heritage of expertise involving approximately 3,000 teachers, scholars and specialists, engaged in research and innovation activities. A critical mass of knowledge that represents the true engine of regional technological innovation.

The Lazio production fabric is distinguished by the presence of large groups of international relevance, active in the sectors of electronics, sensors, avionics, advanced components and innovative materials, as well as in space and satellite applications and services.

Alongside these leading realities, the backbone of the supply chain consists of a dense fabric of small and medium enterprises operating in electronic subcontracting, ICT, high-performance materials and aeronautical and airport services.

This articulated network allows Lazio to host numerous production facilities distributed throughout the regional territory, which contribute to the realization of Ariane and Vega space launchers, satellites, radars, aircraft and helicopter equipment systems, as well as technologies and apparatus intended for terrestrial applications.

The Frascati event launched an unequivocal message: Lazio is a leading region in the Aerospace sector that invests in innovation and builds shared strategies, focusing on cooperation between research, industry, institutions and finance to guide a new phase of development.

The objective is ambitious but concrete: to transform the territory into an aerospace hub capable of contributing to the development of European strategic space autonomy and attracting investments on a global scale. With a strategic position, highly qualified human capital and the presence of major industrial groups, Lazio is positioned to lead the transformation of the aerospace sector in Italy and Europe.

A sector that, by size and quality, represents one of the strategic engines of the regional economy and a reference point for the entire country, ready to face the challenges of the future with the strength of a mature and dynamic industrial ecosystem.